It always perplexes me why everybody tries to get off of work at 5pm. Traffic is backed up and tempers flare for those looking to escape San Francisco. It could literally take 30 minutes just to get onto the Bay Bridge at 5pm. Meanwhile, if you left at 4pm or stayed a little later until 6:30pm, your 1 hour commute might take just 25 minutes and you’ll be much less stressed in the process!

The same thing goes for the morning commute. If you try and get on my bus at 7:30am, it’s a disaster since everybody tries to get to work by 8am. Bus after bus will pass me by unless I walk at least 4 blocks closer to the beginning of the line to beat the crowds. After some trial and error, I decided that just taking a bus 12 minutes earlier at 7:18am always guaranteed me a seat and never a butt in the face!

Given that the easiest way to get paid and promoted is to come into work before everyone else, and if possible, also leave after everyone else, your morning and evening commute is all the more important. In fact, a desire for a financially better life will actually make you less stressed and more productive because you are coming in earlier and/or leaving later when there’s no traffic! What a pleasant combo.

UNDERSTANDING WHY WE RUN IN HERDS

Getting on my bus 12 minutes earlier guarantees an on-time delivery with a seat every single time. If that’s the case, why would you ever get on a later bus that risks making you late 50% of the time and ruining your career and pay in the process? The answer is that we like “big butts in our face and we cannot lie“!

Sir Mix A-lot has a lot of truth to his lyrics. Because we are tempted by big booties, we enjoy squeezing onto massively crowded buses in hopes that some amazingly attractive person will do a little lap dance on you while you’re trying to read your smartphone!

Here are some main reasons:

* We lack discipline. For the life of me, I couldn’t get up at 7:30am in college to get to Calculus class. You know what I did as a result? I dropped the class and said, Screw It! I don’t need Calculus to do my groceries or calculate the profitability of a company! It was the truth, but the real truth was that I lacked discipline and found an excuse, no matter how right I was.

* It feels more comfortable. When you see a stampede of people running towards you, your instinct is to first look beyond them to see what’s chasing, then look back, and start running with them! Nobody wants to be the one fool left facing Darth Vader. And if it’s more likely a grizzly bear chasing after you, then all you have to do is outrun the next closest person. It’s a natural instinct to run in packs, just look at Jacob in Twilight or the fishies on the Nature Channel as they school together in shark-infested waters.

* We are zombies and don’t know better. If all you’ve ever been taught growing up is to study hard, go to college, and be a doctor as the only way lead a financially stable life, that’s what you’re going to do. When you finally become the anesthesiologist at 33 years old making $250,000 a year, you’ll be shocked to realize that any strategy consultant, banker, venture capitalist, and software salesperson with 11 years of experience blows your income out of the water! You then look at all your medical school debt and silent say, WTF mom! It behooves us to learn what else is out there, and if there is a better way of doing something before taking on a project. Chances are, there’s always a better way. It just may not be the easiest way.

* There’s a creativity void for a challenge. Living on the West Coast, I enjoy the challenge of trying to wake up before my brothers and sisters on the East Coast and go to bed after as well. Hence, I’ll try and push myself to wake up a couple days at 4am on the weekdays, and 5am on weekends to get things done and beat the rush. Just going to bed at midnight is late enough where 99% of the East Coast is sleeping by 3am EST. Waking up at 4am or 5am is not as bad as it sounds! Give it a try one day and take a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. You might just love it!

THE BEST TIME TO WORK IS WHEN OTHERS ARE NOT WORKING

Pretty simple, isn’t it? Working during the holidays is like a pigeon finding a loaf of bread in St. Mark’s square with no other pigeons to share with. I couldn’t believe just by sending out three e-mails, I was able to secure online revenue on Thanksgiving Day! Nobody works on Thanksgiving Day right? Well yes, practically nobody in America works on Thanksgiving Day, which is why I decided to give it a shot. I e-mailed loose ends and old clientele in the UK and Australia who are working and sealed a deal. Total time spent, about 45 minutes from 5:15am until 6:00am.

The chances of me making any outside income beyond the norm was likely 0-15% if I had not made a decision to work on Thanksgiving. I knew if I just tried, there is someone somewhere out there in a land of 7 billion people who would happily do a deal. Money doesn’t fall from the sky, no matter how much we hope.

You don’t have to always be zigging when other people are zagging. I would just strongly recommend you mix things up every once in a while to see for yourself. If you normally come to work at 8am, try coming in at 7:30am and see how things go. If you normally post Monday, Wednesday, Friday, try posting Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and capture the less content-producing weekends. If you like beautiful slender women or sculpted tan men, try a mysteriously voluptuous woman or doughy pasty man. You might very well have tons more luck thanks to tons less competition, and be much happier with much better results because of it!

Readers, do you have examples of things you do that go against the herd? Why do you think more people aren’t willing to do things a little differently?

Do you feel it’s best to compete during high season when everyone else is also competing due to more demand? Or is it better to compete when demand is lower, but so is the competition? What are the pros and cons?

Financial Samurai is the founder of the Yakezie Network. Through continuing education and hard work, Sam believes everyone is able to achieve financial independence and give back to the community with abundance. Together we'll slice through money's mysteries!

Just the fact that I have a secondary income is foreign to quite a few of my friends. They just don’t understand how I can find the time to do it (while they sit on the couch and surf through their 400 TV channels). Really, it’s easy, just as Sam said, it just takes discipline.

Taking the path less-travelled takes courage but in my expeience results in new personal growth and learning. Assuming Mr. Mom responsibilities opened the door to my masters degree and I certainly wouldn’t be creating online businesses without the time I have now crated in my schedule.

Funny, my kids recently heard this song and now can’t stop singing “I like Big Butts, and a can-o-pie”. They’re like sponges.

Mike was the stay at home dad for a few years. Friends and teachers would call me to set up play dates even after I would repeatedly say, ‘I have no idea if the kids can do that, you’d have to ask Mike!’. I don’t think it’s because they liked me better I think they just couldn’t break the barrier that he was in charge of the kids.

I’m definitely for taking the road less traveled. I don’t want to be a lemming. However, I need a solid 8 hours of sleep every night. There comes a point where health is more important than being productive! ;)

Have you ever tried 6 hours or 7 hours a night of sleep instead for 1 month straight? If not, try it! I think you’ll be surprised to realize you don’t need that much sleep and will get a ton more done!

I admit I avoided early morning classes in college. I would love to move my work hours earlier but it doesn’t work with my job. I try to eat lunch off peak and I LOVE to travel off peak. Crowds are not my thing!

I just got a better look at the post picture – hilarious! Nice job on making money on Thanksgiving btw! I worked the whole week of Thanksgiving and it was awesome – half the office was empty, phones weren’t ringing, and we left early almost every day. I’m looking forward to that again during Christmas week.

Thanks, it was a shot in the dark, and I took it. I really wanted to play the game to see if I could make money so I could spend on black friday weekend. I bought some nice shoes, but I’m too afraid to wear them b/c they are still 2.5X more than what I normall pay, even though they were on sale!

The road less traveled is certainly more fun to me, but can be a little lonely at times. But when I’m with the herd it’s too crowded… Good points, though the musical references are lost on me, whatever happened to Eagles or Steely Dan analogies?

I get to work about an hour before anyone else to prepare & organize. I tend to get more accomplished in that one hour (thanks to no interruptions) than most people do their whole workday. I also leave before anyone else. I may not be the office socialite- but my focus affords me more free time to do other things I enjoy/want to do.

Anything longer than 800 words and Tue/Thu/Sat is my schedule. I toss my stuff into the stampede if it’s shorter – but maybe I’ll just make the T/Th/S schedule permanent, heh. Of course, I’ve taken plenty of calculus… and also get to work later, (and stay later).

I figure if I wrote a post of more than 800 words – it better not have much competition if I want people to read it. If I wrote something 400-600, I don’t mind adding it to the Monday RSS riot, but since everyone is going through so many articles, 800 words+ probably won’t be read. I’m just hedging my bets!

I agree – people fall into habits. One example is that I get on a train that is 40 minutes earlier. I could take the later train that would get me to work right on time, but sometimes the train is late. Plus, when I take the earlier train, I can get 40 straight minutes of blogging done before work starts. If I didn’t do this, I would be sleeping longer instead of doing something productive.

most people are reluctant because they are pre programmed. hard to break old habits. everyone on the yakezie does something “unconventional” when compared to the herd – ex: rental real estate, blogging, making money online…

I think that a big part of our habits is the reality that we’re socialized to do a lot of things, regardless of whether or not they make sense. Conversely, we’re also socialized not to do certain things.

Some times it pays to run with the herd, quite often actually. However, it also pays to think critically and independently, and sometimes zig when others zag, so to speak. I suppose it’s the ability to A) make that distinction, and B) actually have the discipline to act on such insights, that can help us achieve superior results.

Like many other things, if you want success badly enough, you’ll persevere to get it.

Honestly, when people try to get out at 4.00PM, it annoys me. There is work to be done, so stay a little longer. Don’t give me that excuse of traffic when you just want to go home and I know it. lol As you can see it bothers me. Now, I know how you get things done, Sam – you don’t sleep! :-)

Great approach… I often will leave a little earlier when I want to avoid that “butt in the face” scenario… and do some blog searches, etc. then. A much better alternative! I’m always puzzled by the “herd.”

When I used to wait in the searing streets of Miami for the bus to come, I often found that letting that first bus go to wait 5 more minutes for the second bus that is going to the same place often got me to my destination quicker.

Everybody would crowd the first bus, stampeding for seats and cramming the aisle, while the second bus would be perfectly empty and relaxed.

Plus, since more people were on the first bus, it would make more stops when they wanted off, often allowing the second bus to pass the first one along the way, getting me to work even quicker.

Lesson learned: be patient, missed opportunities often lead to better possibilities.

Driving in Los Angeles, you have to leave early and return after the traffic or you are really stuck in the mess. I usually got to work at 7 AM and still do. I no longer have to deal with traffic, but it has becoe a habit! I always try to zig when everybody zags. I think it is my personality. I am very competitve and I like using it to my advantage.

You know, I get a lot of flack from my friends for being up late at night and being the most functional in the wee hours. I just can’t be productive in mornings, when I try I probably run at 50% capacity where in the evening and at night I get closer to 100%. Some people don’t get it, it’s not conventional but it works for me!

Yes, it is definitely good to switch things up. I think if we only focus on what is exceptable to the mainstream, we’re often missing opportunities to serve an underserved niche. I think knowing and capitalizing on your quirks can be a competitive advantage.

Nice. I really do believe around 7:30am to 4:30pm is a pretty ideal schedule. If I could do that, I woud. I get in about then, but practically everyday last week and tonight, I’ve gotten home past 8-9pm due to events. It’s fun, but tiring!

I think human natures likes to go with the flow of the crowd because if something goes wrong, they don’t have to take the blame. If they did their own thing and made their own decisions, they would have no one to blame but themselves if things went awry. Do what everyone else is doing and if it doesn’t work, then you’ll have tons of other people to share in your misery. Not a great plan of attack but I think it explains a lot!

Just signed up for finals time slots…everyone wanted to get theirs done and over with so they took the earliest slots at like 530. I took the last one at 800 so that I wouldn’t have to put up with rush hour. Less time in my car=less time at school (because traffic is so much more predictable that time of night, I won’t get there silly early)=a less stressed and happier me.

There’s a word for us humans and it’s paradigm. We do things on a scheduled basis and it provides us with comfort throughout our day, it’s gives us the normality of life. Some paradigms in life are unavoidable, but deciding on when to arrive and leave work is one that you can choose to adjust that would be rewarding by saving time.

Choosing to not follow the heard has it’s risks and rewards. For instance, choosing not to get into debt to attend college and trying to create money is obviously one risky move. But, I don’t have the burden of debt and I know much of my success relies on my determination to learn about assets that help you create money.

I’m lucky, I work from home. I’m also a night owl so while I have to be available during normal business hours, I’m most creative and productive between about 10 pm and 1 am. The downside (if there is one) of working at home, however, is that the office is always right down the hall (ok, no commuting) and it’s hard to get away from work sometimes when it is necessary.

You are lucky. I fear working from home too much though. I think I go stir crazy and would have to buy myself a meg mansion to try and keep things entertaining. Not really, but hopefully the home is on a country club golf course with pool, restaurant, tennis court, and spa. Is that too much to ask?

I love doing out of the ordinary. It is so liberating and I learn so much. I do have some habits but I always make an effort to do new things so I don’t get stagnant. I am lucky because my job allows me flexibility. As long as my work gets down I can work the hours I want- within reason of course.

I think there is a lot to be said for the herd instinct sam. Sometimes when Im doing something that im about 99% sure is right and no one else is doing the same thing, I really start to question what I’m doing. LIke – if this is so great, how come Im the only one doing it? Did I miss something or am I lost?

The good thing about the shifts at my old job was definitely beating the traffic. I was usually early getting in because of the bus times. OTOH, nobody really noticed if I was early or late because of said shifts.

I walk to work at my new job, although occasionally I do need to drive in. I always try to get in early and leave late on those days, because a) I’m on a busy road and getting in and out of my driveway can take a little while b) there isn’t tons of parking at work, and I’m a really awful parker as it is. Heck, before we moved I used to take a long detour home in the evenings because it was near impossible to turn right out of the road through traffic (can you tell I’m a real nervous, amateur driver?)

I definitely find I’m more productive either really early in the morning or late at night. Late at night seems to be the most productive for me – less distractions and I’ve already done the online checking in that I often do in the morning.

Let me know how it goes! For blogging as an example, I enjoy posting a full post on Sunday b/c very few do. It’s always a Monday rush. And b/c of Sunday posting, it gives editors from bigger sites such as the Consumerist to highlight to their readers.

Another one of my favorite econ discussions lol – good ol’ Thorstein Veblen! Moving with the herd may have it’s benefits though in certain situations safety from predators, collective bargaining, reducing non-systematic risk. But for being a bright shining star or to earn more you def have to consider pulling the extra hours or just showing up when everyone else won’t.

My old job I was lucky to have the flexibility of “put in 8 hours and leave”. I would come in at 7, take a half hour lunch and leave by 3:30. Now I am told I have the same options at my new job, but since I’m new, I come in earlier than everyone, but I feel odd leaving before everyone since I am still trying to learn the job. I have noticed a HUGE difference in leaving work at 5, and even leaving 10 minutes earlier.

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